Actuarial Science with a Year Abroad

Actuarial science is a mathematically intensive discipline concerned with assessing and managing financial risk, particularly the kinds of long-term uncertainty that arise in insurance, pensions, investment and financial planning. Actuaries use probability theory, statistics, financial mathematics and economic modelling to quantify risk and design strategies that allow organisations to manage it prudently. It is a profession with a clear qualification pathway, high earning potential and strong employment security, and the undergraduate degree in actuarial science provides the foundation for entry into it.

At the University of East Anglia, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad component, as reflected in its title, providing the opportunity to study at a partner institution in another country and develop an international perspective on the mathematical and financial fields that actuarial science draws upon. You will study probability and statistics, financial mathematics, stochastic processes, survival models, financial economics and the applications of these tools to insurance and pensions, working toward exemptions from professional actuarial examinations as you progress through the degree. The programme develops both rigorous mathematical capability and the applied analytical skills that actuarial employers require.

Graduates from actuarial science programmes typically enter the actuarial profession in insurance companies, consulting firms, pension funds, investment banks, reinsurers and regulatory bodies. The structured professional qualification route means that graduates who pass the relevant examinations over the course of their early careers can progress to full Fellowship of one of the UK's actuarial professional bodies. Many graduates also move into related fields including financial analysis, risk management, data science and quantitative finance, where their strong quantitative background and applied statistical skills are highly valued.